Alexandria School Board Candidates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ignacio wrote an Op Ed about the SROs. I think that is her main catalyst for running. I heard that her position in central office was eliminated and she was moved back to an admin. She had a post about applying for a superintendent position in her home state of WV. She was pretty transparent about that from the start. I didn't love her quote in the ALXNow article. I'm not a fan of Dr. Hutchings, but talking about your former boss and colleague in that manner is unprofessional and uncouth. Her co-location views seem rather MAGA and appealing to a certain group. ACPS doesn't have enough space for students. I don't think that co-location would happen. What teacher wants to live on top of their workplace? No one! I also don't agree with her that "we did a hell of a job" or whatever pat on the back. What is the deal with the coffee shop she ran for students with different learning needs or social/emotional needs?

She’s married to an APD detective, which explains a lot of her SROs-Uber-Alles positions.

Her attitude towards teachers at TC was not unlike that of a cop questioning a suspect right before arrest.

LOL. Give it a rest. We know you don't like her. You post the same drivel every time.

I have worked for her and I have taught her kids. She is highly respected by everyone who appreciates straight talk and a no-nonsense answer. She also gets things done.

I support her and ALL THE PRINCIPALS of our high school and middle schools who want SROs in our schools working with our students.

[Anonymous]

I can't find any information on PreAnn Johnson's campaign. Is she running? Early voting starts in a month. Either she isn't running or she's incredibly confident that she'll be elected.

[Anonymous]

Not even a month. It starts in less than a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

I generally agree what Dr. Rief says here about what ACPS accomplish in responding to COVID. I wish she would also acknowledge where it failed - mainly Hutchings / administration being creative to try to make virtual learning work better.

That being said, she is a serious person and the Board needs serious people: https://www.alxnow.com/2021/08/25/school-board-member-michelle-rief-praises-acps-covid-response-in-reelection-bid/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in B. I'm voting for Simpson Baird, Booz, and Westfall. They are all current ACPS parents. I don't want any ACPS administrators on the board, even if they are also ACPS parents or former parents for students who have graduated. I find that to be a conflict of interest since they have a financial interest in the school district with their pension and are too close to their retirement. Shouldn't there be a period of time before they can run in that capacity? I don't understand ACPS COI policies for the SB. For me, they represent ACPS insiders. What did they do in the pandemic? Nothing! I did not see Ignacio or Johnson show any leadership or pushback on Hutchings. Why doesn't Johnson have any information up? Is she still running?

Why would you vote for Booz if you are looking for someone to pushback on Hutchings? She won't. She's total establishment.

I know her and knew she was running pre-announcement. I think her perspective has changed. Her kids are in school now and she’s had years of an outsider/non-school board member/ACPS parent view on/experience with ACPS. Is she a “burn it all down” type? Definitely not. But I think she can see through Hutchings and is attuned to some of the less desirable aspects of central office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I generally agree what Dr. Rief says here about what ACPS accomplish in responding to COVID. I wish she would also acknowledge where it failed - mainly Hutchings / administration being creative to try to make virtual learning work better.

That being said, she is a serious person and the Board needs serious people: https://www.alxnow.com/2021/08/25/school-board-member-michelle-rief-praises-acps-covid-response-in-reelection-bid/

I agree. I wish she'd pushed back more, but she spoke up more than almost anyone else, along with Chris Suarez, who isn't running again. She has my vote.

[Anonymous]

Jacinta Green & Michelle Rief are two incumbents who voted to remove the SROs. D. Ohlandt was Rief’s treasurer. Rief, Ohlandt & Ish Boyle have kids in ACPS. Ish Boyle is a veteran, owns a business, & continually met with Hutchings during the closure of schools to hold him accountable. Willie Bailey & Tammy Ignacio are backed by John Porter, the former principal of TC. District A: Rief, Greene, Boyle, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want the same vote for Rief, Greene, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want change & accountability, vote Boyle. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jacinta Green & Michelle Rief are two incumbents who voted to remove the SROs. D. Ohlandt was Rief’s treasurer. Rief, Ohlandt & Ish Boyle have kids in ACPS. Ish Boyle is a veteran, owns a business, & continually met with Hutchings during the closure of schools to hold him accountable. Willie Bailey & Tammy Ignacio are backed by John Porter, the former principal of TC. District A: Rief, Greene, Boyle, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want the same vote for Rief, Greene, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want change & accountability, vote Boyle. Simple.

Boyle doesn’t support kids wearing masks though, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jacinta Green & Michelle Rief are two incumbents who voted to remove the SROs. D. Ohlandt was Rief’s treasurer. Rief, Ohlandt & Ish Boyle have kids in ACPS. Ish Boyle is a veteran, owns a business, & continually met with Hutchings during the closure of schools to hold him accountable. Willie Bailey & Tammy Ignacio are backed by John Porter, the former principal of TC. District A: Rief, Greene, Boyle, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want the same vote for Rief, Greene, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want change & accountability, vote Boyle. Simple.

Boyle doesn’t support kids wearing masks though, right?

Yes although apparently he is now realizing that the position is alienating voters so he is changing his tune. Both actions (anti-mask and now swinging in the breeze) make him a turn-off in my book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jacinta Green & Michelle Rief are two incumbents who voted to remove the SROs. D. Ohlandt was Rief’s treasurer. Rief, Ohlandt & Ish Boyle have kids in ACPS. Ish Boyle is a veteran, owns a business, & continually met with Hutchings during the closure of schools to hold him accountable. Willie Bailey & Tammy Ignacio are backed by John Porter, the former principal of TC. District A: Rief, Greene, Boyle, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want the same vote for Rief, Greene, Bailey, Ohlandt. If you want change & accountability, vote Boyle. Simple.

Boyle doesn’t support kids wearing masks though, right?

Consistent with that, voting for change alone is not sufficient if the change is going to be crazy and make things worse. It seems there is a lot of questions about whether Boyle’s focus is on fringe crap rather than the reason for change: Hutchings’ leadership has led to a system failing at educating its students (especially in math per the SOL scores and especially students of color) and seems to be creating Covid risk for its students. Rief and even Greene (who I generally do not like) stood up to Hutchings on the teacher vaccination / testing timing issue. There needs to be change agents but if the change agent is unqualified, the next best approach is to vote for qualified people who hopefully will do the right thing at times.

[Anonymous]

I met with Boyle and was impressed by his leadership skills. However, when I talked to my friends at Lyles Crouch, they knew nothing about him. I realize we've been in a pandemic two years, but I'd like to hear from Lyles Crouch parents. Was Boyle involved in the PTA or school? I want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Making his wife respond to parents in the ACPS parent facebook group was a pretty strange way to respond. I couldn't find anything on his website that he is anti-mask but I did find the wife's Twitter and it seems anti-science and acting like the insurrection was a hoax. I work in the building where we were on lock down. My kids were in daycare in the Senate building. I know that is not him and his spouse, but can someone verify?

[Anonymous]

Ish is very approachable and he’s usually at the Old Town or Del Ray farmers markets on Saturdays. He’s also responsive by email. If you have questions then go talk to him. He is a dad, he’s running a business, & had a family emergency the first week of school. He’s not some professional politician so give the man a break.

[Anonymous]

Also Ish’s wife doesn’t post anything on Twitter so I think you have the wrong person.

[Anonymous]

What Twitter Account? I am now up to counting 40 Colleen Boyle accounts. You post an account but can you verify this is the correct account?

[Anonymous]

Also Ish’s wife doesn’t post anything on Twitter so I think you have the wrong person.

The whole Twitter thing is irrelevant. I don't care what account she may have or what she may have tweeted. They sent their kids without masks into a public school with immunocompromised classmates. Apparantly there was an accomodation that would have permitted the kids to wear masks, whatever their medical issue may have been, but this was not what the family initially pursued. Then, when called out about it, her response, among other things, was to complain on facebook that the rec center made her husband pay a fee for use of space in which her kids and husband were unmasked.

This candidate is a hard no for me.